


a lust for solidity

by scarebeast



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 05:37:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9307736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarebeast/pseuds/scarebeast
Summary: "It's okay, Noct, it's gonna be alright. We're getting out of here right now."Noctis closes his eyes tight and only opens them when he feels something leather and warm and distinctly Gladio scented being draped over him. It does a little to warm him up, and he wonders if he'll ever stop feeling this cold or if he's just going to have to live with this for the rest of his life. However long that may be.Noctis is struck with the realization that this might be the closest he's come to dying on their adventure.When Gladio lifts him into his arms, Noctis presses his face into Gladio's shoulder and closes his eyes again. Gladio doesn't say anything about the way he can't stop shaking.





	

**Author's Note:**

> you may be thinking, where is the smut? well it's not here, for once
> 
> this is short but hopefully sweet so enjoy

It happens so quickly that Noctis doesn't have time to react. Something plunges into him and his feet are dangling, and he's clawing desperately at the sword that's piercing his belly. 

There's a flash of red, the entire sword lighting up with it and Noctis feels it inside of him, the darkness. He knows what this is. The Starscourge, the corruption, and it's _inside him_ somehow now. He looks straight into the daemon's face, and he knows that if the Ronin had a mouth, it would be smiling right now. Something drains right out of him then, all of his will to fight, his will to live.

And then it's cold. So fucking cold, and it's spreading through his entire body, starting from the point where he can see it sticking out of him, and bleeding out over his arms, down his legs, until he's completely numb. The thing is that there's no pain, nothing, it feels like his entire body is gone somewhere else, and he knows he's scrabbling at the sword with his finger tips, but he can't feel it. He's watching himself from somewhere far away and he can hear his friends shouting his name but it's like he's underwater and everything is muffled.

The next thing he's aware of is Ignis above him, shouting Noctis's name into his face. He wonders, vaguely, why Ignis didn't just pour a potion down his throat, but after a second he realizes that it appears Ignis _has_. Noctis is still numb, still can't feel his own body.

"Noct, are you alright? Noctis, please."

Noctis blinks hard, trying to clear the haze from his vision. "Nn," is the only thing he can get out.

"Oh, thank the gods. He's awake!" Ignis calls over his shoulder. Prompto's face appears, and he looks so scared that Noctis wonders exactly how long he was out. "Noctis, do you think you can move?"

Noctis tries to speak again but he can't get the words out, can't even form them in his mouth as anything close to recognizable. His stomach feels rotten and he's certain if he opens his mouth more than a little, he's going to end up throwing up.

"Gladio, come here," Ignis stands and Noctis wants to grab at him, pull him back down and cling to him. Prompto seems to see whatever panicked look Noctis might have on his face and kneels over him, taking one of his hands.

"It's okay, Noct, it's gonna be alright. We're getting out of here right now."

Noctis closes his eyes tight and only opens them when he feels something leather and warm and distinctly Gladio scented being draped over him. It does a little to warm him up, and he wonders if he'll ever stop feeling this cold or if he's just going to have to live with this for the rest of his life. However long that may be. 

Noctis is struck with the realization that this might be the closest he's come to dying on their adventure.

When Gladio lifts him into his arms, Noctis presses his face into Gladio's shoulder and closes his eyes again. Gladio doesn't say anything about the way he can't stop shaking.

 

The haven they slept at the night before is a few miles away, but Gladio carries him the whole way there. Noctis starts to get some feeling back into his arms and legs after a few minutes of travel, but he's so drained that he doesn't say anything and just bears the concerned looks that Gladio gives him every few minutes.

Prompto has been talking nonstop and Noctis knows that's just how he gets when he's upset. Ignis bears the brunt of that conversation, forces Prompto to hang back behind them and responds with the most soothing tone of voice he has.

"You really scared us," Gladio murmurs down to him at some point. Noctis has no idea how long they've been walking but he's sure they have to be close. "Don't do that again, okay?"

"S-sure," he manages. He doesn't feel so much like he's going to puke now. "Don't g-get a sword stabbed through m-me again. Easy." 

Gladio gives him a Look. Noctis knows what Gladio's face looks like when he's genuinely irritated with Noctis, and this isn't it. This is just. Frustration, concern, and Noctis thinks about what he must have looked like to them. He probably looked like he was dead.

"Sorry," he mumbles eventually, pressing his face against Gladio's shoulder again.

Gladio grunts. "S'whatever. Just be more careful, Highness."

Noctis nods and his arms are finally feeling alright, so he reaches a hand up to fist it in Gladio's shirt.

 

When they reach the haven, the sun is setting on the horizon, and Noctis is glad that Ignis decided they should keep their camping equipment up because with the night comes the cold, and he's so very tired of being cold. Prompto lays a blanket out, and Gladio sets him down next to the fire pit and moves away to start gathering wood. He can sit up on his own now, but it's so exhausting that after a minute he just flops back and flings his arms over his eyes.

"What did that thing do to me," he mumbles. Someone sits down next to him, and he doesn't even have to look to know that it's Prompto. Noctis doesn't really want to talk about this at all, not so soon, but Prompto doesn't actually say anything.

He's just there, a warm presence beside Noctis, until he hears Gladio come back and get the fire started, and Noctis has to sit up to get closer to the fire and fight the exhaustion in his bones. That's when Prompto moves, but only closer, and he's looking at Noctis expectantly, like there's something Noctis is meant to be doing right now.

"Need something?"

Prompto sighs and rolls his eyes dramatically. "You can lean on me. It's fine, nobody's going to mock you and your masculinity or anything, buddy."

Who thought about that, really? Noctis shakes his head a little and takes the offer, leaning into Prompto's side and resting his head on his friend's shoulder. He feels Prompto's arm go around him and sighs. He can't seem to keep his eyes open. He's been exhausted like this before, deep in his bones, in his chest, in his soul, but this feels different somehow.

"So, like, we don't have to talk about this right now. But if you do want to, you know where I am, Noct."

"Thanks, Prom," Noctis mumbles. He doesn't want to talk about it ever if he's being honest. Maybe someday he'll change his mind but he doesn't think that'll be soon. He almost died. It's really starting to affect him, how close he came to it this time. It's not like it's the first time he's had a near death experience, but it's the first time he's gone dark and unfeeling and that Gladio had to _physically carry_ him all the way back to camp.

It's weird because he really does tell Prompto everything, most of his secrets, some of the big things that he can actually talk about without losing his mind. He has no desire whatsoever to talk about this with him.

"If you want to sleep, that's fine. Iggy'll be mad you didn't try to eat, but you look... You look really awful, Noct."

He didn't even think about that, if his face reflects the way he feels, if he looks just as tired and ill.

"Yeah, okay," he agrees.

 

The rain pattering against the outside of the tent is what wakes Noctis up. He thinks it is, at least, because Ignis is awake too, sitting cross legged in front of the opening and watching the rain hit the stone of the haven.

He feels better than he did last night, more rested, but there's still a hard pit of cold in his stomach that he wants to be rid of already. He crawls over to Ignis to sit next to him and is pleased to find that he can actually sit up now on his own.

"Highness," Ignis greets him and he groans a little, rubbing at his eyes.

"Time's it?"

"A little past eight. I decided to let you all sleep due to the rain and the sort of day we had yesterday." Ignis has a steaming cup of coffee in his hands and Noctis wonders vaguely how he made it when all of his equipment is out in the rain, but he honestly wouldn't be surprised if Ignis went out there to make his coffee.

Ignis sees him looking at it and offers him the mug. He takes it, but only because it's warm, and because it's easy to ignore the look that Ignis gives him when he doesn't take a sip.

"Are you alright, Noct?"

He stares out across the haven into the woods and cradles the cup a little closer to his chest. "Hm."

Ignis just sighs and Noctis feels bad for a moment because all Ignis does is care for him and he's such a little shit sometimes.

"Cold, still," he says finally, because Ignis's eternal patience is the stuff of legend, and he wouldn't be surprised if they just sat here until Gladio and Prompto woke up, and then Ignis would get them in on it too. Noctis wouldn't be able to lie then, so he wasn't going to lie now.

"Still?"

"Yeah. Been cold since it... you know. It'll go away, probably. Everything else did. I feel better now," Noctis offers, but the damage is done, and Ignis is draping his sleeping bag over Noctis's shoulders.

"There. Is that any better?"

"I'm not gonna lie, it probably won't be better until we get out of these woods." Noctis shrugs and pulls the sleeping bag tighter around him. "You don't have to worry, though."

Ignis lets out a soft laugh. "Worrying about you is all I do, Highness. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"

"No. You're here because you're one of my best friends, Ignis." Noctis takes a sip of awful, awful black coffee and manages to swallow it down, grimacing.

Ignis shakes his head and takes the mug back from him, muttering about his 'omplete and utter lack of taste.' The look he gives Noctis then is so fond though that he can hardly breathe with it focused on him.

"That does mean a lot to me, Noct. Thank you."

There's a loud groan from behind them, and then the sound of Prompto rising directly out of his sleeping bag to stretch. Gladio isn't far behind, then, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with a groan.

"Is it raining? Oh man, it's raining, isn't it. We had the sun for like a day!"

"Ugh, gods, Prompto, how do you do that?" 

"Do what?"

"Just _go_ when you wake up!"

"I mean, it's just my naturally perky personality, isn't it? Besides, gotta be ready for anything at any time!" Prompto boxes the air and beams at Noctis, and he knows he's going to be fine, then.

"Are we ready to pack up camp?" Gladio asks, but he still sounds like he could use another hour or two. "Or can I go back to bed?"

Ignis glances over at Noctis, arching an eyebrow. "Up to his Highness."

"Let's go! I want to get back to Lestallum before lunch. Iris said she'd get something nice for us if we showed up."

"Hey, now, chill out about my sister, Prom," Gladio gives him a warning look and hefts his pillow threateningly.

Noctis looks over at Ignis as their two friends start bickering behind them, and Ignis wordlessly hands him his mug of coffee. 

Yeah. He's gonna be just fine.

**Author's Note:**

> the file name for this was "stab him in the ass boys.rtf"


End file.
